The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1887-07-10
SOME NEW BooKa



foam readers which gives, in equally succinct
FORM 30 much information Of . desirable kind
about China and her people as the record OF
recent travel In that country by Gen.J. II. WILL
SON tAppletonsL These notes Of personal obser-
vations, made By one who visited tho Middle
Kingdom with practical object and which Arc
concerned with topics OF interest, not to the
arcnnologlst, the student Of comparative his
tory and sociology but to the civil engineer,
the railway contractor. the minor, the manu-
facturer, the merchant and the ordinary trav-
sller, will 10 into hundreds OF hands that will
mover opon tho pondsrous duarto volumes OF
DR.. Williams or touch the untranslated or
ct least unreprintcd work Of Rlchthofen. 1t
does not appear that tho author who had, as
we have intimatsd. . business, or rather pro-
fessional. end In Wow, made any special effort
TO equip himself for this interesting journey
from the Sinolog.cal point Of view. and perhaps
we should congratulate the reader on the fact
for, Judging from our experience OF other
travellers. In their own estimation fully quail
fed, We should hardly have escaped the inflic-
ton Of much second hand and flimsy erudition.
For ourselves, when we call to mind how rare
It IL for even an accomplished member OF the
Chinese literary class to write with unim-
peschable correctness the literary language
(which. Of course. differs profoundly from any
VI tuS uuhuEcu bpokoh oAoAoSeob W. S'SNN ~
offer an authoritative exposition Of certain
passages in the classic toxts and earlier
commentaries, we look with considerable
skepticism at the pretensions OF any European
. or American scholar to Q mastery over tho
ohipese literary tongue. And We may as well
cay here that for the qualifications OF Dr. VIII
liams In particular We have never seen salts
factory vouchers. the certificates OF other for
sign students being, We need not add. OF no
great value Far. therefore. from holding
cheap tho book Of Gen. Wilson because no does
not profess to have learned much about China
from printed books or manuscripts we read It
with more confidence because It purports to
offer nothing but tho regulations Of the au-
thors eyes and ears, which are those Of we'll
educated American soldier and engineer. who
has had. By the way. In both capacities long
and creditable experience.
Gen. Wilson visited Chinator no other object,
as he informs u.s. but to discover what no ex-
tant books or diplomatic correspondence tell
the inquirer. namely. what Geld 10 offered In
that country to American skill enterprise, and
capital To this question the whole book fur
aishes detailed answer. which. however. Is
summed up In final chapter. The greatest
iiflculty In inducing the Chinese Government
to countsnsnos Innovations In public works.
In looomotion, mining, manufacturing. trade.
8Uu 08TICu1buVoy ID cuOOunOoE0u Al IAo Cou.
servausm Of the literary or governing class"
The author goes on to explain that "this
conservatism finds its most efficient agent
In tho Board OF Censors, and the system Of
espionage Of which 1t is the head throughout
the empire" They supervise the business Of
the Great Boards. and are at liberty TO memo
rialize tho throne upon all subjects and at all
times They are the guardians Of the law and
Of the customs Of the people. and 1t Ia their spe
cial duty to speak before the public or the en-
pire has been injured" From their position
and functions the Censors may always know
what business Is likely to come before tho
throne. and hence 1t Is easy for them to assail
any measure which does not receive their ap-
probation. They are specially on the alert
against Innovations and foreign schemes, more
than one Of which. good as we'll as bad. they
have killed or indefinitely postponed before 1t
had received imperial consideration" Now.
these Censors. who are Told men who have
reached their high positions by q life
time OF laborious study devoted exclu-
sively to Chinese classics and juris-
prudence" have hitherto blocked every
effort Of the Chinese Liberals to introduce
railways on an extensive scale, although a
short railway operated in connection with the
Kai-PinR coal mines has been winked at Yet
among tho native Liberals anxious to profit
al development and defence have Of late been
numbered some Of the most eminent and pow
erful Chinese functionaries. Not the least
valuable Of the materials collected In this
volume are the memorials on the necessity OF
railways from q strategic point Of view OF Liu
Ming -Chu'an, General In the Chinese army,
Of Ii Hung-Chang. the Viceroy OF Chilli and
Northern Superintendent OF Trade: Of Liu
Kim-Yi, the Southern Superintendent Of Trade,
and, what 10 far more surprising, Of Tso Tsung
Tang. tho famous reconQueror OF Kashgar,
who. upto the last year OF his life had been
the most conspicuous and innexible opponent
Of innovations. Tso seems to have been con-
verted BY witnessing the impossibillty Of sea-
sonably transporting troops. munitions. and
stores to Tonuuin during the war with France.
II Ii true that petitions emanating oven from
those influential quarters have not, as yet,
been favorably considered at Pekip Never
theless. to tho question. Are the Chinese 60
nK to build railways. open mines, and erect
furnaces and rolling mills ?" Gen. Wilson. In
view Of all the facts brought to his knowledge.
replies unhesitatinRly: "Yes, whenever they
can be shown that this can be done with their
own money, obtained at first by private sub
scription and by their own labor, under the
direction Of foreign experts, who will treat
them fairly and honestly" But the authors
experience convinced him that they will not
for the present borrow money on the credit Of
their Government or pledge Of Its revenues.
Mother will they grant concessions or subsi-
dies to foreigners 30 far as I can see, they
will not even take money from any power or
syndicate. and agree to secure the repayment
Of the same by mortgage upon the works to
be created thereby" Under the circumstances
we infer that an early construction Of a rail-
way system In China is improbable, as there
are very few private capitalists In China,
which. moreover. has no surplusin the public
treasury with which to establish and pay for
State railroads. and nothing but great emer-
gency could induce them to raise the money
BY taxation or to borrow It even upon the
simple plodgo OF the imperial Governments
faith to repaytt"
The strategic value OF railways to the Chinese
Government Is plain to every Western mind.
But Is 1t equally certain that the freight and
passenger traffio would pay an interest on the
eapital tnyested in construction and equip